CABAL ONLINE Begins Beta

Need something to do now that you've quit World of Warcraft for the fifth time? CABAL ONLINE, a massive multiplayer online action game by OGPlanet, will begin its U.S. open beta period on February 1st and continue until the game's launch date of February 21st. While it'll be the first time us Yanks will get our hands on the game, the game already has a million players throughout Europe and Asia.

I'll admit that I haven't heard much about this game in the past, but the scope does sound pretty impressive. CABAL boasts 300 dungeons, 170 levels, and a character creation system with over 200 options. Combat is handled through a timing and precision-sensitive system, and players can wield both magic and conventional weapons.

The best part of the beta is that if you enjoy the game, you can keep playing it after it's released - it's free. The game is funded through "micropayments" for in-game items and other features. It's an uncommon business model here in the States but seems to be gaining traction - EA announced a free Battlefield game recently that would feature purchasable equipment. Unlike the Battlefield game, however, there's no mention in the CABAL press release of utilizing in-game advertising.